REVIEWING THE SHAWN MARION TRADE

With the Heat having the night off, I thought it would be a great time to analyze the Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon trade. A lot of fans have been hard on the trade, because O'Neal has not been the dominant force on the boards that they had hoped, but they are missing the big picture. Yes, if they are to succeed in the playoffs, he needs to be grabbing 8-10 boards a night instead of 6. However, this was a 2 for 1 trade and the numbers of both must be taken into account. Combined, the Heat brought in roughly 20 ppg, 10 rpg, and 3 bpg. Those are numbers that would be a dream out of one player, but hey I will take it from two guys if I have to.
Shawn Marion was not fitting into the system run in Miami, and it was obviously clear to management that the best thing to do would be to move him while still adding value to a team that is going to be in the playoffs. What did the team really lose in Marion? Defense? I would say that Moon has been just as solid as Marion was on the perimeter, but he has not been able to cover players in the post as effectively. That is where the addition of O'Neal comes in. Granted he is not on the level of the great big man in the league anymore, but no longer do we have to worry about guys like Brad Miller lighting us up. O'Neal has given the team a scoring presence inside, a much needed dynamic since they reelied too much on perimeter play. This has not fully taken form yet, as the squad still manages to forget he is on the court after the 1st quarter most of the time, but each game has been a bit better. It is the job of the coaching staff to keep O'Neal active even when he is not getting his touches, so when the 4th quarter comes around he can be that featured low post scorer that can get a few easy baskets.
Playoff basketball is played at a slower pace, and O'Neal's skills were brought in for just that. Marion was not a guy you could throw the ball to anywhere on the court and expect a bucket, unless he was wide open under the hoop. O'Neal is aplayer that can work on the block or the hight post. Since the trade Moon has really come on as a solid wing player. He has energized the squad with his wicked dunks, mostly a result of a Dwayne Wade alley oop, and he has also hit is fair share of three point shots, something Marion was not so good at.
Shawn Marion's contract runs out after the season, but the Heat were not going to use the money saved on him to add any big name players in the offseason, cause they are structuring the finances of the squad to make a push to keep Wade in 2010, while also adding another big contract. With this in mind, the deal makes great sense. Moon's contract runs out after this season and O'Neal's after next year. They have been using the 2nd half of the season to see if Moon fits in with the squad, which I would say he does. Expect management to try to sign him to a cap friendly deal, if they can find a way to move James Jones and his long term contract. O'Neal will be gone after next year, unless he is willing to take a minimum contract, so the Heat is positioned perfectly to make a play for a big named complement for D.Wade in 2010.
In order for the deal to be a smashing success, they are going to need to get production from the two players in the playoffs. Something that is going to be easier now that the roster is more balanced. No more Joel Anthony, Jamaal Magloire, or Mark Blount starting in the middle, which has to make Coach Spoelstra the happiest man in the league. Nice trade by the Heat.

RETURN OF THE SHAQ

PHOENIX SUNS @ MIAMI HEAT 7:30pm

Tonight marks the eagerly anticipated return of former Heat big man, Shaquille O'Neal to American Airlines Arena. It is his first time back since he was traded last season, since he is playing his best basketball in years, it is fair to wonder if the Heat made a mistake by trading him for Shawn Marion in the first place?

When Shaq was traded, the Heat were last place and the future looked dim , while he and Dwayne Wade missed game after game with various injuries. It became obvious to the Heat front office that the leftovers from their championship run in 2005-06 were not a nucleus they could not succeed with anymore. Therefore it was a practical move at the time to trade him for Marion and Marcus Banks. Those players would not put Miami back into contention by themselves, but it was feasible that they could help Miami transition into a up-tempo squad, while also putting themselves into position to get a top draft pick.

While the Heat never quite became that high octane squad, they were able to get Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers in the draft. This marked a turning point for the franchise as they were able to get 2 foundation players in one draft. Add these 2 guys to an MVP season for Dwayne Wade, a healthy year for Udonis Haslem, and the Heat quickly jumped back into the playoff hunt. Marion provide the Heat with strong play from both forward positions, but he was not good enough to keep Beasley off the court so he became expendable. So the Heat moved him along with Marcus Banks to Toronto for oft-injured center Jermaine O'Neal.

Jermaine is not the All Star Center that he was in his Indiana days, but when he is healthy he can still get a double double and play solid defense. That is more than they Heat was getting from the center by committee they were using before. With playoffs a guarantee, barring a Dwayne Wade season ending injury, the Heat needed to get bigger upfront. So bringing in Jermaine made sense, as he is a solid complementary piece to the young core. He has been through his fair share of grueling playoff series, which is essential when you have so many core guys that have never been in a single playoff game.

As Jermaine has struggled a bit to fit in with the Heat, Shaq has played his best basketball in 3 years, so the debate is on, but if the Heat had not gotten rid of Shaq when they did, they would not have the young nucleus they have now and Wade would not be the unquestioned leader. It is interesting to note, that as well as Shaquille has played for Phoenix this season, he was still being shopped heavily at the trade deadline. I guess that hefty contract and even heftier ego can weigh heavily on a squad. In that case, Jermaine is the better fit, now if only we could find a way to get him rebounding again. Here is to hoping that headband helps him hit the boards tonight.